The problem of ice congealing and/or thawing in commercial ice-storage bins has never been fully solved. The present invention solves this problem by adding an air cooler to the ice-storage bin. Additionally, rotating agitator blades set at a proper angle slice the stored ice cubes into small sectors solving the problem of storing ice cubes without congealing in a commercial ice dispenser.
Notable attempts to solve this congealing problem include an Ice-O-Matic, Denver, Colo., CD Series Cube Ice Dispenser having a timed agitation of the auger (once every hour).
Known in the art are combination auger and rotating agitator blade ice storage bins. Kloppenberg & Company, Englewood, Colo., makes a commercial ice dispenser and bagger that uses a bottom chute in combination with an auger and a rotating agitator blade. However, the agitator blade is semi-circular in shape, and the unit does not have any circulating air-cooler feature.
The inventive ice bin of the present invention has been integrated into an efficient reverse osmosis water filtration system in a vending machine kiosk. Related commercial vending machine ice dispensers include U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,538 (1996) to Woodward. Woodward teaches the integration of a reverse osmosis water filter, UV light, and carbon treatment of water in a hot and cold water and ice dispensing compact office-sized unit.
A heavy volume purified water and ice dispenser is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,477 (1992) to Hamlin. Hamlin teaches a reverse-osmosis water filter having a copper-zinc alloy feeding a commercial ice maker and dispenser. The coin-operated unit also features an ice-bag storage and dispensing unit.
In summary, the present invention offers a new and non-obvious solution to the problem of preventing ice cubes from congealing in an ice dispenser. An air-cooled ice bin is integrated into a coin-operated reverse-osmosis purified water and ice dispenser.